Thompson’s Maple Shortbread
Photo: Thompsontown Maple
Thompson Family
The first generation of the Thompson family to arrive in Upper Canada was Thomas Thompson (1801-1889), from Glasgow, Scotland. He was one of the early pioneer settlers in Lanark Township, and he came from a family of gentleman farmers who owned and operated a small inn. He settled on the East half of Lot 20, Concession 11 and married Grace (Scoular) Thompson (1812-1894). Grace journeyed from Scotland with her parents in 1820, part of a group known as the Lanark Society Settlers.
Thomas developed a segment of his land as a sugar bush, and reported in the 1871 Census, that he had produced 100 pounds of maple sugar. Thomas and Grace’s two daughters, Martha and Mary were keen maple sugar makers, and the old stone fireplace where Mary and Martha boiled their sap into syrup and sugar may still be seen today on Lot 21 of the Thompson property.
Winner of the Golden Spoon!
The Thompson family has a long history of producing award-winning maple products, and our recipe today comes from Leann Thompson, a descendant of Thomas and Grace. Leann’s recipe for Maple Whipped Shortbread was winner of the “Golden Spoon” in an annual cookie competition, and the Golden Spoon award sits proudly on her kitchen shelf today. It’s been said that her shortbread cookies are “so soft that they melt in your mouth”. It’s no wonder that someone with such a long and rich Scottish heritage would produce such perfect shortbread!
Leann Thompson’s
Maple Whipped Shortbread
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated maple sugar
(Perhaps the secret to her recipe is using granulated maple sugar!)
Combine all ingredients and beat for ten minutes. Drop teaspoons of batter onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes (or until bottoms are lightly browned)
Top with maple butter for an extra maple treat!
A link below to find a variety of sizes of granulated maple sugar used by Leann in her recipes.
Granulated Maple Sugar – Thompsontown Maple
And so, the tradition of making Shortbread continues down through the generations of this legacy maple-producing family. From the early days of pioneer, Thomas Thompson, his daughters Mary and Martha, and continuing today with their descendant, Leann Thompson, and her award-winning shortbread.
Our Lanark County Maple Syrup producers have a long and rich history, and are the reason that Lanark County has been named, “The Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario”.
For more stories and recipes on Lanark County’s legacy maple farmers:
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Arlene Stafford-Wilson
Honorary Life Member, Lanark County Genealogical Society
Lanark County Pioneer Families Humanitarian Award
Francois Bregha Storyteller Award
Heritage Perth Architectural Conservation Award
Member, Association of Professional Genealogists
Author of : “Lanark County Kitchen; A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table”, “Lanark County Christmas”, “Lanark County Comfort”, “Lanark County Collection”, “Lanark County Calling”, “Lanark County Classics”, “Lanark County Connections”, “Lanark County Calendar”, “Lanark County Chronicle”, “Lanark County Kid”, & “Recipes & Recollections”, “Lanark County Classrooms: Remembering Our School Days”.
